


one for the road

by scheherazade



Category: Tenimyu RPF
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-23
Updated: 2018-05-23
Packaged: 2019-05-10 08:08:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,071
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14733183
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scheherazade/pseuds/scheherazade
Summary: "You're the best thing since sliced bread, haven't you heard? According to your resident fanboy, anyway."





	one for the road

"Nice work out there today, hotshot."

Takuma gives Ryuu a long look. "Hotshot?"

"The staff love you, the fans love you, even senpai love you. You're the best thing since sliced bread, haven't you heard? According to your resident fanboy, anyway."

"As if our senpai don't love you," Takuma shoots back.

Ryuu thinks about it for a second. He grins. "Yeah, true."

"Are you shit-talking senpai without me?" Taka pokes his head into the dressing room. He looks around. "Where's Yuusaku?"

Ryuu raises an eyebrow. Takuma says, "I think he's with Toshiki."

"Where's Toshiki?" Yuuta asks, wandering right past Taka and into the room. 

Ryuu rolls his eyes. "Taking one last chance to milk the agenda for all it's worth, probably. I bet they're all down by the loading area. If Shougo's there then Dai's there, too."

"Cute." The way Yuuta says it suggests otherwise.

"Don't you get sentimental on me." Ryuu slings his bag over his shoulder. "All this fussing and crying. It's not like we're not coming back."

Yuuta makes a humming noise. Taka laughs, "We might be, but Seigaku aren't. Have a heart."

"I'm all heart," Ryuu says, stone-cold deadpan. Taka laughs harder. "Speaking of, come find us when you're done, Takuma. We should get a proper group photo without the olds."

Takuma blinks as he follows the three of them out the door. "Wait. Where am I supposed to be going?" He's pretty sure he's already done with his media obligations and staff goodbyes.

"Shou-kun was looking for you," Yuuta says, in a patient kind of voice, like Takuma's the one who doesn't notice half of what's going on around him at any given moment.

Taka waggles his eyebrows. "Looking and waiting and hoping."

"A soul of patience," Yuuta agrees. 

"Not this again," Takuma protests, without much hope of his own.

"It's just the way they make Seigakus," Ryuu remarks out of nowhere. "Not one of them has any chill. And that goes for all nine generations. There's like, some factory setting that adds an extra dose of gay on top of the already messy musical theater feelings."

"Are you saying they make Seigaku robots in factories?"

"I mean, how else do you explain Sadamoto Fuuma?"

Taka actually howls with laughter, before being loudly shushed by Yuuta as a couple staff members hurry past. But the staff only give them an indulgent look. 

Everyone's feeling a little sentimental on closing night.

Ryuu waves him off at the elevator. "See you downstairs in ten."

"If you're not there in ten, we're breaking down the supply closet door," Taka adds cheerfully. Takuma rolls his eyes. Taka blows a kiss. The elevator doors close on Yuuta checking messages (or his own reflection) on his phone.

Takuma turns left for the Seigaku dressing room.

He should be happier, maybe, that Ryuu has taken to taking his side when the teasing starts. And isn't that how it always goes? There are plenty of things he knows he should do—and generally, he's very good about doing those things—but every once in a while some contrary part of him decides it would be more satisfying to tempt fate.

It's not like he needs Ryuu to defend him. It's not like Taka, or any of the rest of them, mean any harm. Probably.

Everyone gets teased. Ryuu has done more than his own fair share of it, ribbing Toshiki and Shougo on and off camera, hamming it up when it suits him and sticking his nose into other people's business when it suits no one. But it's fine, because that's how it works, because everyone knows that's all it is. Shougo has a girlfriend. So does Ryuu. Toshiki probably does, too, though he insists that he's not going to jeopardize his career that way.

 _Shou-kun was looking for you._

Well, obviously. They're supposed to say goodbye. There's the official round of thank-you's and farewells, where they take the obligatory selfies and bicker over which ones to use, and then there's the unofficial one. That's the one that makes the camera crew converge like sharks scenting blood in the water. That's when they'll catch Matsumura crying into Uno Yuuya's shoulder. And that's when they'll find Yuusaku having a quiet word with Toshiki, telling him that he was the best captain they could have asked for. Because if you can't tell a sentimental little white lie on closing night, then when can you.

It would be better if they catch Toshiki and Shougo. But Ryuu will probably catch the pair of them first, at which point the obligatory teasing will have killed any supposedly authentic atmosphere the camera crew were looking for, and they'll leave to find easier targets.

Maybe that's why Ryuu does it.

The thought makes him blink. It never occurred to him that there might be some things even Toshiki doesn't want caught on camera. But maybe even Toshiki. Maybe especially Toshiki.

That train of thought gets weird and uncomfortable when he lingers too long.

Anyway, what he should be thinking about is what to say to Shou. He has a couple jokes that he thinks might make Shou laugh. He doesn't have much else. He considered writing a letter again, but it seemed like overkill. It's not like they haven't been over this before. And it's not like they haven't already planned to meet up the next time they both have a day off.

It's like the teasing: it's fine because everybody knows exactly what it is. None of the—what did Ryuu call it?—extra gay feelings on top of musical theater feelings. As if either is an excuse for messing up a good thing he's got going on.

He doesn't need Ryuu to worry about that for him. Just because Takuma has never had a girlfriend doesn't mean he doesn't get it.

He hears a voice from around the corner saying, 

"Hey, hey, come on now. It's over. We did it. Breathe, yeah?"

"I am breathing," Shou replies. It doesn't sound like he is. "I'll be fine in a minute."

A fond chuckle. "And here I thought you were gonna have a breakdown _before_ the show." 

He nearly did, is the thing. Takuma remembers reaching for Shou for a hug, the way they always do, and Shou jumping like his heart was about to fail him. But he'd pulled himself together. Because that's just what you do.

And now Yuuya is saying, "I'm kidding. Mostly. You wanna talk about it?"

"Don't think it would help." A pause. "Thanks, though. For everything, Yuuya."

"Don't mention it. And right back at you. You know I feel the same way."

Shou laughs. It comes out breathless. "Shut up."

"Hey, come on." Yuuya sounds like he's smiling. "It's just me, you know?"

"Yeah, you and an entire camera crew that'll probably pop up from around this corner any second now."

Takuma considers calling out, _No, it's just me._ He flattens himself against the wall instead.

Yuuya says, "I think they packed up already."

"Weren't they chasing Seichan around just now?"

"Chasing people around is more of a state of mind."

Shou starts laughing first. "What does that even _mean_ , you weirdo."

"It means what it means." Yuuya barely makes it through the sentence before breaking into snickers as well. "What did you think it means?"

"I think it means you need to go home and get some sleep."

"So do you."

"I'll be fine."

"You sure? I can walk you—"

"Shut up," Shou says again, warmer this time. Steadier. "I'm not actually your girlfriend."

"Shame, that," Yuuya replies, even though there's no one there to appreciate it. Even though they think they're alone. Even though that's not how this works. "Well, if you're sure."

"I'm sure."

"One for the road, then?"

The pause seems to last forever. 

"Yeah, why not." 

His feet are moving before his brain can catch up and scream _bad idea_. Extremely bad idea. Not to mention awkward. Whatever he thinks might be happening, whatever problems he has with himself, they're his own problems—it's got nothing to do with Shou—and it's still not an excuse.

Where's Ryuu when you need him?

 _We're breaking down the closet door if you're not there in ten,_ Taka had laughed. Because he thought nothing of it. He might have been the only one.

But whatever Ryuu thought might happen is not what Takuma thought might happen, and what Takuma thought might happen is also not what's actually happening. Funny, that.

Yuuya spots him first. 

"Hey, Takuma," he says quietly. Kindly.

That makes Shou lift his head from Yuuya's shoulder, before hastily looking away, dragging his sleeve across his eyes. "Takkuma." A hitch in his voice. Utterly failing at not sniffling audibly. "Hey." 

Takuma isn't sure how he didn't hear it before. Hallway acoustics, maybe.

"Yuuta said you were looking for me," he tries, which sounds stupid. But so does, _I didn't mean to interrupt._ Obviously, he wasn't interrupting anything.

"I'll leave you to it," Yuuya says easily enough. He rubs one last soothing circle on Shou's back. "Yeah?"

"Yeah," Shou agrees. 

To Takuma, Yuuya says, "Good luck with everything. We'll come back to see your next show, if we don't run into each other before then."

"Thanks," Takuma manages. "Same to you. It was great working with you, Yuuya-san."

That makes Yuuya laugh for some reason. He offers Takuma his hand, drags him in for a quick back-thumping hug. Before Takuma can react one way or another, Yuuya gives him another smile and disappears around the corner. 

"Not one for goodbyes, is he?" Takuma says, when the pause stretches.

Shou smiles faintly. "We'll be seeing each other around, I expect. All of us." His eyes are a little red if you look closely. Takuma does his best not to. Shou takes a deep breath. "It's really over, huh."

"Yeah. See you in four years, two months, and fifteen days I guess."

His delivery is completely off. Shou laughs anyway. 

"Didn't take you for a method actor," he chuckles. His smile turns softer. "I'm glad I met you, Takkuma. I'm glad you were my Renji."

 _Still am,_ Takuma doesn't say. He met the new kid earlier. The new kid called him _Isawa-san_ and nearly hit his head on a utility cart trying to bow and talk at the same time.

"Couldn't have done it without you, hakase," he says instead. 

"I think you could have." He's never said that before. "And I think you know that, deep down." Shou looks tired all of a sudden. Probably just the result of hours of on and off crying. "Still. It makes me happy to hear that. You're a good person."

He's not, but. "You're a good friend."

Shou laughs. "That, I am."

It's stupid, it's so stupid, that _that's_ what finally makes Takuma's vision blur. Not that it matters much, because then Shou is hugging him. His shirt smells like make-up and sweat. Shou always gives the best hugs. 

And it's not like Takuma hadn't just caught Shou crying on his best friend's shoulder. So Shou doesn't get to judge him for doing the same.

Funny, that both those things can be equally true.

He jumps at the sound of cables slapping against the floor. 

The assistant video director nods to them, dragging a coil of cable—no camera—with him in the direction of the loading dock. 

"Thanks for all your hard work," the man says briskly. Businesslike. "Get home safe, all right?"

"Will do," Shou replies, while Takuma says, "Yes, thank you."

In his pocket, his phone buzzes. It's been more than ten minutes. 

The text from Ryuu reads: _can't hold taka off much longer where tf are you?_

"Someone looking for you?" Shou asks.

"No," Takuma lies. It's just work, he figures. He pockets his phone. "You heading out?"

"Yeah." Shou hesitates a second before adding, "You?"

"Yeah."

There's no one watching. The video equipment has long since been packed up. There's no reason for him to walk this close to Shou, practically invite him to invade his personal space. But there's never been much reason for any of it, apart from the obvious one. Looking and waiting and hoping. 

Shou bumps his shoulder, doesn't put his arm around Takuma again, the way he would have if there was a camera around. 

Probably.

"I'll walk you," Shou says, and Takuma lets him.


End file.
